Category: Development

2020 Best Public Improvement Project: St. Paul

October 2, 2020

Spanning seven years and seven blocks, St. Paul finally completed its comprehensive downtown infrastructure project in 2019. Lead by the town, with input from St. Paul Tomorrow’s Design Committee in the early stages, this $16 million project reconstructed the stormwater system, sidewalks, curbing, roadways, crosswalks, water lines and sanitary sewer lines. The need for upgrading … More 2020 Best Public Improvement Project: St. Paul

Norton’s Cider Success

December 8, 2019

A vacant building at the heart of downtown Norton once considered for demolition has gotten a second lease on life. Recent renovations have transformed it into Southwest Virginia’s first cidery. Watch the video to learn more about the project from start to finish! The project to reimagine the former auto repair shop began in 2016 … More Norton’s Cider Success

Enterprise Zones and Commercial District Revitalization

October 12, 2019

There are currently 45 designated enterprise zones across Virginia and included in those are 12 designated Virginia Main Street communities, as well as numerous affiliate communities. Over the past several years, we have seen the overlap of these two revitalization tools to transform many of our downtowns and commercial districts throughout the commonwealth. The Enterprise … More Enterprise Zones and Commercial District Revitalization

Small Business Resource Guide now available

December 11, 2018

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has developed a Small Business Resource Guide that provides information on many of the items that new or expanding small businesses and entrepreneurs need. This includes financing programs, grant programs, business development resources and training opportunities, as well as university entrepreneurship programs that are available to the … More Small Business Resource Guide now available

How To Apply Workshops coming in January!

December 4, 2018

The Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Community Development Division will be holding how-to-apply workshops across the commonwealth in January as several grant programs will open for application submissions on January 2, 2019. DHCD’s grant programs offer flexible resources that allows communities and local/regional organizations do more to create vibrant communities. The workshops will … More How To Apply Workshops coming in January!

Recognizing the Hard Work on Main Street: Western Front Hotel

November 6, 2018

At the 2018 Downtown Intersections in Harrisonburg, we continued the tradition of acknowledging outstanding achievements in comprehensive downtown revitalization efforts through Merit Awards.  They recognize the hard work, dedication and success of Virginia’s Main Street communities and their achievements across the four points of the Main Street Approach®.  This is the fourth in a blog … More Recognizing the Hard Work on Main Street: Western Front Hotel

The District Digest Vol. 2 – Downtown Ideas to Put to Work

November 27, 2017

While you were busy making a difference in your home town, you might have missed these thought-provoking posts: Holiday Customer Service: 7 Tips Retailers Should Not Ignore – Retail Minded Craft Beer’s Big Impact on Small Towns and Forgotten Neighborhoods – Curbed 6 Urban Projects Built Thanks to Online Civic Engagement – CitizenLab How to … More The District Digest Vol. 2 – Downtown Ideas to Put to Work

VMS Commercial District Affiliate Grants Now Available!

October 24, 2017

Virginia Main Street has opened the application process for our first ever Commercial District Affiliate Grants! Affiliate Grants are designed to assist organizations and communities in achieving their downtown revitalization goals and be used for projects or planning purposes. The maximum grant amount is $7,000 and can be used for… non-profit organizational development; vision/mission development; … More VMS Commercial District Affiliate Grants Now Available!